Sleep apnea is a common problem these days that affects both the adults and children. It occurs when a person has pauses in breathing during sleep. These pauses called as apnea can last between 10 to 30 seconds and occur few times a night. The highly disrupts sleep patterns affects the person's daily life which results in extreme fatigues during the day.
There are three types of sleep apnea:-
1)Obstructive sleep apnea: It occurs when there is a blockage in an airway due to biological/anatomical deformity such as tissue in the back of the throat or tongue. While a person is sleeping, this soft tissue in the back of the throat closes.
2)Central sleep apnea: This condition arises when the muscles that help in breathing fails to move. This inability happens when brain signals are unable to trigger breathing actions.
3)Mixed sleep apnea: This disorder is a mixture of both central and obstructive sleep apnea.
There are number of factors that contribute to a patient developing sleep apnea. Few of them are:-
- Anxiety
- Attention problems
- Depression
- Dry Mouth
- Diabetes
- High Blood Pressure
- Loud Snoring
- Stroke
- Weight gain
- Diet
- Heredity
Dentists are specially trained for this disorder and are of great help to physicians in treating patients with sleep disorders and breathing problems.
